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Kelcey Lee 2110 Voices 25 March 2018 A Critical Review of BFE The play BFE is very well rounded. Not only did it deal with serious topics such as broken relationships, rape, and racism, but it also includes humor and tenderness. This play is truly a work of art, and the UGA edition was wonderfully acted out, in my opinion. This university is blessed to be able to see such an intriguing play come alive by equally delightful student actors, who are clearly passionate about theater. The show was inspiring, vivid, and fascinating and was able to portray the text, setting, costumes, lighting, sound, acting, and directing very clearly.
At first, the plot seemed confusing because it initially introduced many characters, and the audience was left to analyze the relationships between the characters. As the play progressed, the plot seemed to become clearer, though it was muddled at some points. If the audience came into and viewed the play without knowing anything about it, some people could have been confused on what was happening; however, this play seemed to find a balance between clarity and enigma to keep the audience captivated. This play seemed to focus on providing pieces information that may not necessarily connect at first but are clearly all related and linked towards the end of the play. For example, one part of the plot that deals with the abduction of the blonde girls can also be initially confusing but makes perfect sense when the ending of the play draws near. This information helps portray the conventional unattractiveness of Panny because of her Asian race. The characters are all very different and interesting. The audience can see how authentic each character is because they all have realistic aspects to each of them. For example, Isabel is narcissistic, Lefty seems to be shy, and Panny must face internalized racism against herself. All these riveting aspects made the play what it is and shaped its excellence as a production.
To depict the plot, the setting is very crucial to telling a production’s story. The setting for this production was rather quite unique. Rather than having it be switched out by a crew, the setting was the entire stage, which was broken up into different parts. Each of these parts contained a different setting that could be many different things as well. At first, this can seem too compact and confusing, but it was also very appropriate as well. Because the setting was broken up into different parts all on the same stage, the audience can feel a very particular intimacy of the play. This also helped fuel the idea of interconnectedness of the play because it provided a sense of intricacy that can be hard to portray if not for this type of setting. For example, the idea of phone calls helped to connect characters and scenes together, which all contributed to the elaborateness of the production. The setting was also very simple and plain, consisting of very basic items such as places to sit or the TV. At first glance, this can seem very boring and dull; however, this allowed for imagination. The audience could then easily visualize how they perceive a play without having to rely on a director’s setting, which may break any initial idea the audience may have had. This way, the audience was able to enjoy the play more thoroughly.
Not only was the setting nice, but the costumes were pleasant as well. Though there is not much to say about the costumes, they are usually one of the most important aspects of a play since they can help the actors carry out each character. They all contributed to the characters, which helps the audience grab a sense of what the characters are like. For example, Panny’s costume made it very clear that she is a young girl since the clothes were not particularly revealing or flashy. Also, Isabel’s bath robe helped the audience understand that all she does is lounge around the house and dislikes going out. Clearly, the costumes were very appropriate for each character and immensely helped the play progress since the audience can more easily understand the characters through their costumes.
Compared to the costumes, the lighting was a smaller portion of the play. The lighting of the play was interesting and unique. The play started off dark, and Panny shined a flashlight to help demonstrate her first monologue about a bright light in the sky. This was quite satisfying because monologues also can be quite bland and boring. This usage of lighting helps to excite her initial speech and intrigue the audience. This particular moment was essential since it was one of the very first moments in the play and helped hook the audience in. On the other hand, this part was one of few times lighting was important in the production. It would have been better if lighting was used more frequently; had this been the case, then some scenes may have been portrayed more easily and efficiently. Though the play did not necessarily require the frequent usage of light, this could have helped the depiction of some scenes by highlighting or diminish certain parts of the script.
Though the lighting was not used as much, sound seemed to play a bigger part in this production. Though sound was a minor aspect of this production, it helped to emphasize the details of this play. There were times where piano music was used, which was very pleasant. It was very soothing and helped to capture the tender moments in the production. This same music was also used before the production began, which was quite interesting. It provided a sense of melancholy but calmness, which almost provided a contradiction to the production. The production moved quickly unlike the calm music provided, so the audience may have been a little surprised. This move was unique, but it might have been better to provide music that matched the play a bit more. Also, there was a general lack of music since it was not necessarily a musical but an actual play instead. The silence was also used to help portray tense moments to draw the audience in, which was a good decision. Also, it was very interesting to see how Hae-Yoon was portrayed in the play. Her voice projected from behind the audience, which helped to emphasize the fact that Panny was reading from a letter. When Hae-Yoon’s voice got closer to the stage, it was very intriguing because the tension was essentially at its peak.
The acting was possibly one of the best parts of the production. Though the actors were clearly students and young, their acting was very authentic and impressive. Panny’s actress did seem a little inexperienced, but she managed to portray Panny’s complex character very well. If introduced to her, I think I would only be able to initially see her as Panny! The other characters were depicted incredibly well too. Each actor or actress matched the character’s description very well, and it would have been hard to imagine anyone else for each character. Each character seemed to come to live and had more personality; for example, the script seems to dull each of the characters. In the production, the actors and actresses seemed to give the characters a much more vivid personality. They were more animated and striking than expected, and the audience could see the different colors of each of the characters.
Clearly, because all these aspects were wonderful, the directing was just as good. The time and care taken for this play could be seen, so the directing must have been careful and dedicated. It was very pleasant to know that the play followed the script very closely while having touches of difference to help portray the story more clearly. Though the production was short and concise, it depicted a very detailed and rich story, which can be attributed to the director’s work.
Despite not having seen many plays, I enjoyed BFE very much, with its details and intensity. This production is very complex even though it could be seen as simple. It found a careful balance between bareness and vibrancy, which I found incredible. The audience can obviously see the imagery in this production while imagine it in their own way.
Kelcey Lee
2110 Voices
25 March 2018
A Critical Review of BFE
The play BFE is very well rounded. Not only did it deal with serious topics such as broken relationships, rape, and racism, but it also includes humor and tenderness. This play is truly a work of art, and the UGA edition was wonderfully acted out, in my opinion. This university is blessed to be able to see such an intriguing play come alive by equally delightful student actors, who are clearly passionate about theater. The show was inspiring, vivid, and fascinating and was able to portray the text, setting, costumes, lighting, sound, acting, and directing very clearly.
At first, the plot seemed confusing because it initially introduced many characters, and the audience was left to analyze the relationships between the characters. As the play progressed, the plot seemed to become clearer, though it was muddled at some points. If the audience came into and viewed the play without knowing anything about it, some people could have been confused on what was happening; however, this play seemed to find a balance between clarity and enigma to keep the audience captivated. This play seemed to focus on providing pieces information that may not necessarily connect at first but are clearly all related and linked towards the end of the play. For example, one part of the plot that deals with the abduction of the blonde girls can also be initially confusing but makes perfect sense when the ending of the play draws near. This information helps portray the conventional unattractiveness of Panny because of her Asian race. The characters are all very different and interesting. The audience can see how authentic each character is because they all have realistic aspects to each of them. For example, Isabel is narcissistic, Lefty seems to be shy, and Panny must face internalized racism against herself. All these riveting aspects made the play what it is and shaped its excellence as a production.
To depict the plot, the setting is very crucial to telling a production’s story. The setting for this production was rather quite unique. Rather than having it be switched out by a crew, the setting was the entire stage, which was broken up into different parts. Each of these parts contained a different setting that could be many different things as well. At first, this can seem too compact and confusing, but it was also very appropriate as well. Because the setting was broken up into different parts all on the same stage, the audience can feel a very particular intimacy of the play. This also helped fuel the idea of interconnectedness of the play because it provided a sense of intricacy that can be hard to portray if not for this type of setting. For example, the idea of phone calls helped to connect characters and scenes together, which all contributed to the elaborateness of the production. The setting was also very simple and plain, consisting of very basic items such as places to sit or the TV. At first glance, this can seem very boring and dull; however, this allowed for imagination. The audience could then easily visualize how they perceive a play without having to rely on a director’s setting, which may break any initial idea the audience may have had. This way, the audience was able to enjoy the play more thoroughly.
Not only was the setting nice, but the costumes were pleasant as well. Though there is not much to say about the costumes, they are usually one of the most important aspects of a play since they can help the actors carry out each character. They all contributed to the characters, which helps the audience grab a sense of what the characters are like. For example, Panny’s costume made it very clear that she is a young girl since the clothes were not particularly revealing or flashy. Also, Isabel’s bath robe helped the audience understand that all she does is lounge around the house and dislikes going out. Clearly, the costumes were very appropriate for each character and immensely helped the play progress since the audience can more easily understand the characters through their costumes.
Compared to the costumes, the lighting was a smaller portion of the play. The lighting of the play was interesting and unique. The play started off dark, and Panny shined a flashlight to help demonstrate her first monologue about a bright light in the sky. This was quite satisfying because monologues also can be quite bland and boring. This usage of lighting helps to excite her initial speech and intrigue the audience. This particular moment was essential since it was one of the very first moments in the play and helped hook the audience in. On the other hand, this part was one of few times lighting was important in the production. It would have been better if lighting was used more frequently; had this been the case, then some scenes may have been portrayed more easily and efficiently. Though the play did not necessarily require the frequent usage of light, this could have helped the depiction of some scenes by highlighting or diminish certain parts of the script.
Though the lighting was not used as much, sound seemed to play a bigger part in this production. Though sound was a minor aspect of this production, it helped to emphasize the details of this play. There were times where piano music was used, which was very pleasant. It was very soothing and helped to capture the tender moments in the production. This same music was also used before the production began, which was quite interesting. It provided a sense of melancholy but calmness, which almost provided a contradiction to the production. The production moved quickly unlike the calm music provided, so the audience may have been a little surprised. This move was unique, but it might have been better to provide music that matched the play a bit more. Also, there was a general lack of music since it was not necessarily a musical but an actual play instead. The silence was also used to help portray tense moments to draw the audience in, which was a good decision. Also, it was very interesting to see how Hae-Yoon was portrayed in the play. Her voice projected from behind the audience, which helped to emphasize the fact that Panny was reading from a letter. When Hae-Yoon’s voice got closer to the stage, it was very intriguing because the tension was essentially at its peak.
The acting was possibly one of the best parts of the production. Though the actors were clearly students and young, their acting was very authentic and impressive. Panny’s actress did seem a little inexperienced, but she managed to portray Panny’s complex character very well. If introduced to her, I think I would only be able to initially see her as Panny! The other characters were depicted incredibly well too. Each actor or actress matched the character’s description very well, and it would have been hard to imagine anyone else for each character. Each character seemed to come to live and had more personality; for example, the script seems to dull each of the characters. In the production, the actors and actresses seemed to give the characters a much more vivid personality. They were more animated and striking than expected, and the audience could see the different colors of each of the characters.
Clearly, because all these aspects were wonderful, the directing was just as good. The time and care taken for this play could be seen, so the directing must have been careful and dedicated. It was very pleasant to know that the play followed the script very closely while having touches of difference to help portray the story more clearly. Though the production was short and concise, it depicted a very detailed and rich story, which can be attributed to the director’s work.
Despite not having seen many plays, I enjoyed BFE very much, with its details and intensity. This production is very complex even though it could be seen as simple. It found a careful balance between bareness and vibrancy, which I found incredible. The audience can obviously see the imagery in this production while imagine it in their own way.